General Preventive Medicine & Public Health Residency Program

The Public Health and General Preventive Medicine Residency Program (GPM) at Meharry Medical College (MMC) is for individuals who want to pursue a career in Preventive Medicine with a special interest in Maternal and Child Health, with emphasis on the health of underserved and rural communities. Board certification in a Primary care specialty will be enhanced by additional education and experiences in public health and prevention.

GetCovered Tennessee, a healthcare access program of Family and Children’s Service, is a great resource here in Tennessee! They are the state grantee for connecting uninsured Tennesseans with health insurance through TNCARE/CoverKids/Affordable Care Act. FCS is a non-profit offering free healthcare access service in all 95 Tennessee counties, and their services are free of charge. In addition to enrollment, they also provide educational training on TNCARE/Coverkids/Affordable Care Act or Health Assist Safety net programs, such as how to use your insurance coverage and what the insurance terms mean. 

GetCoveredTenn is a non-profit program providing free health insurance enrollment and healthcare advice to all Tennesseans. GetCoveredTenn has a team of 20 experts to help Tennesseans find quality healthcare through affordable insurance, access to community-based healthcare services, or both. Their services are free and unbiased.

The March of Dimes Maternal HealthCARE (Collaborative to Advance Racial Equity) is taking a novel approach to community engagement that generates honest feedback that is of value to hospitals and health systems. This collaborative is seeking additional partnerships with statewide partners to join this collaborative. RHA of TN wants to be sure that the voices of rural Tennesseans are heard. If you or someone that you know would like to be apart of this collaboration, apply here. 

Find out more information at: 

Are you curious about what leadership solutions are available for rural healthcare leaders who are passionate about making a difference? This week on Rural Health Leadership Radio we explore another rural-focused leadership program that’s working to improve health equity, NRHA’s Rural Health Fellows Program. 

NRHA’s Rural Health Fellows program is a yearlong, intensive training program that develops leaders who can articulate a clear and compelling vision for rural America. Each year, NRHA selects 10 to 15 highly motivated individuals who have proven their dedication to improving the health of rural Americans through their educational or professional experience. The goal of the Fellows program is to educate and develop a network of diverse rural leaders that will step forward to serve in key positions in the association, affiliated advocacy groups, and local and state legislative bodies with health equity as the main focus. For more information, go to https://www.ruralhealth.us/programs/rural-health-fellows

Listen on Rural Health Leadership Radio

Thanks to the advocacy efforts of RHA of TN members and other organizations, dental coverage is now available for pregnant and postpartum women. Starting April 1st, pregnant women on TennCare will have dental coverage.  

An excerpt of the Notice of Change can be found below.

The please see the following update from the Tennessee Department of Health:

The following information as released from HRSA regarding the Uninsured Program and the Coverage Assistance Fund. Please direct additional concerns to https://www.hrsa.gov/CovidUninsuredClaim or contact the HRSA Provider Support Line at (866) 569-3522. 

Rural Health Association of Tennessee members met with several of Tennessee’s legislators and staffs on Wednesday, March 9^th.

Topics of conversation ranged from discussing the Access to Naloxone Act, telehealth, health equity, and the importance of coordinated school health.

Sabrina Blue is the Founder and CEO of Helping Hands of Middle and West Tennessee (HHT). The mission of HHT is to build stronger communities and help improve health outcomes for West Tennessee families. HHT provides dental, medical, and medical insurance assistance to families earning no more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Blue is an Associate Pastor with the Historic First Baptist Church in Jackson, Tennessee. Her mission is to look at the deficit of the resources in rural Tennessee and figure out how to deliver holistic healthcare to the residents of rural West Tennessee.

Listen on Rural Health Leadership Radio 

In honor of Heart Health Month, The Rural Health Association hosted a webinar in collaboration with the American Heart Association- Tennessee this morning, "Building Community Networks to Improve Heart Health in Rural Communities" .

Our guest speakers, Brenda Miller and Kacie Kennedy, offered a vast knowledge on ways you can partner with your local communities to help with heart health in your own neighborhood and recognizing the importance of heart health. 

Rural Health Association of TN's members A Step Ahead Chattanooga has a commitment to removing barriers to contraception through education, outreach, and access to free birth control.

A Step Ahead Chattanooga serves 18 counties across Southeast Tennessee, Northwest Georgia, and Northeast Alabama (Bledsoe, Bradley, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, Meigs, McMinn, Polk, Rhea, Sequatchie, Catoosa, Dade, Murray, Walker, Whitfield, DeKalb, and Jackson counties).

The Tennessee Department of Health's Division of Health Disparities Elimination is proudly recognizing extraordinary individuals in the health and medicine industries with ties to Tennessee during Black History Month, including RHA of TN's own Dorshonda Evans. 

"Dorshonda Evans, BSHA, LPN is Rural Health Association of Tennessee’s (RHA of TN) Member Engagement Director. As a nurse and mother, Mrs. Evans understands the challenges healthcare workers face in balancing family, work, and personal care.

Rural Health Association of Tennessee members met with several of Tennessee’s federal Congressmen, Congresswomen, and staffs on Wednesday, February 9^th.

Topics of conversation ranged from discussing the 340B drug program, Rural Health Clinic Modernization Act, and the importance of programs such as the National Health Service Corp and the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (R-CORP)

The Rural Health Association of Tennessee is excited to announce our webinar on "Health Equity, Poverty, and Rural Resilience" by Michael Meit, who serves as Director of Research and Programs for the East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health Research.

This session will highlight what is known about rural health inequities and how they vary by rural geographic region, describe health inequities in Tennessee, present measures of rural prosperity that can help us to understand factors of risk and resilience in our rural communities, and highlight rural strengths and assets that can be leveraged to improve rural community health and well-being. Join us on March 11, 2022 at 10:00am.

Radon and Lung Cancer in Tennessee 

If you missed our webinar on "Radon and Lung Cancer in Tennessee" with Lexi Brown and Bruce Snead, don't worry! A recording of the webinar is available, along with resources shared. 

The University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine and The University of Kentucky Healthcare CE Central are hosting a conference titled "Healthcare in Appalachia: Practical Approaches to Addressing the Unique Needs of our Region" in Pigeon Forge on April 28-30, 2022.

Approximately 25.7 million people live in the Appalachian region of the United States (U.S.) Forty-two percent of the region’s population lives in rural areas, compared with only 20% of the nation. This region has historically been plagued with unique healthcare needs and poor health outcomes.

The National Rural Health Association's 33rd Annual Policy Institute has moved to a virtual platform! 

Join us on February 8-10 for the NRHA's Policy Institute to learn more about policy and have a chance to advocate for the issues you care about. Prices have dropped as the event has moved to a virtual platform. This is a great opportunity if you haven't been able to make it to D.C. in the past. Join other staff and members of Rural Health Association of Tennessee to advocate for the policies that effect you! A tentative schedule can be found here.

Find out more information and register 

CDC releases "Rural Considerations for Vaccine Confidence and Uptake Strategies"

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released another COVID-related rural resource that may be of interest. A “Rural Considerations” addendum was recently added to its field guide for conducting a Rapid Community Assessment (RCA). An RCA is a process for quickly collecting community insights about a public health issue in order to inform program design. The assessment involves reviewing existing data and conducting community-based interviews, listening sessions, observations, social listening, and surveys. In addition to the rural considerations addendum, the

Rural Medical Centers has clinics located in mountains where there is no internet or cell service, and in the middle of a tomato field. As you might imagine, they have a few challenges providing healthcare services. You can listen to a very interesting conversation with Jessica Zimmerman and Alexis Andino who are both with Rural Medical Services in East Tennessee.

 Listen on Rural Health Leadership Radio

The following information was an update made by the CDC on January 6, 2022: The CDC has updated guidance for K-12 schools to align with the updated quarantine and isolation guidance.

Quarantine is a strategy used to prevent transmission of COVID-19 by keeping people who have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 apart from others. Isolation is used to separate people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 from those without COVID-19.